American Realignment
The country is sliding from an era of politics forged by social connections at the neighborhood level to one where cultural and ideological polarization dominates.
The Talented Mr. Vance
J. D. Vance could have brought the country’s conflicting strands together. Instead, he took a divisive path to the peak of power.
The Era of Thrash
The American economy has been in chaos longer than you think.
How to Disappear
Inside the world of extreme-privacy consultants, who, for the right fee, will make you and your personal information very hard to find
The Decline and Fall of Elon Musk
The Tesla innovator becomes the latest government employee to lose his job.
The Mother Who Never Stopped Believing Her Son Was Still There
For decades, Eve Baer remained convinced that her son, unresponsive after a severe brain injury, was still conscious. Science eventually proved her right.
The Pedestrians Who Abetted a Hawk’s Deadly Attack
A zoologist observed a Cooper’s hawk using a crosswalk signal as a cue to ambush its prey.
What Are People Still Doing on X?
Imagine if your favorite neighborhood bar turned into a Nazi hangout.
The Show That Makes Being Awkward Feel Good
Culture and entertainment musts from Serena Dai
What the Show of the Summer Knows About Intimacy
The new Netflix miniseries Sirens has beachy vibes but a dark heart.
The Debate That American Conservationists Should Be Having
What if the U.S. protected ecosystems directly?
The Debt Is About to Matter Again
When interest rates outpace growth, very bad things can happen.
It Isn’t the Kids. It’s the Cost of Raising Them.
Having children makes people happier—if they can afford it.
RFK Jr.’s Worst Nightmare
The candy convention was a celebration of everything that the health secretary believes is wrong with our food.
Parents Are Sacrificing Their Social Lives on the Altar of Intensive Parenting
Inequality has seemingly caused many American parents to jettison friendships and activities in order to invest more resources in their kids.
Project 2025’s Architects Are Close to Achieving a Major Goal
A new Supreme Court ruling shows how the American right has gone from fearing big government to embracing it.
My Shipwreck Story
On my first time out as a commercial fisherman, my boat sank, my captain died, and I was left adrift and alone in the Pacific.
The Big, Beautiful Republican Shrug
Republicans routinely criticized Democrats for rushing bills through Congress. Now that they’re in power, they don’t seem to mind.
The Largest Upward Transfer of Wealth in American History
House Republicans voted to advance a bill that would offer lavish tax cuts for the rich while slashing benefits for the poor.
‘I Run the Country and the World’
Donald Trump believes he’s invincible. But the cracks are beginning to show.
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